抽 meaning in English

chōu

to draw out; to pull out from in between; to remove part of the whole

HSK 4verb8 strokes

Meaning of 抽

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

chōu

to draw out; to pull out from in between
to remove part of the whole
to inhale (esp. smoke)
(of fabric etc) to shrink
(of certain plants) to sprout; to bud
to whip; to thrash
classifier for sheets (of tissues, wet wipes etc)

How to use 抽

抽 is a very common verb for pulling or drawing something out, and it appears in everyday words like 抽烟 (chōuyān, to smoke), 抽屉 (chōuti, drawer) and 抽奖 (chōujiǎng, to draw a prize). It can also mean to find time, as in 抽时间. Example: 他每天抽一包烟。(Tā měitiān chōu yì bāo yān.) He smokes a pack of cigarettes every day.

抽 has the hand radical 扌 on the left and 由 (yóu) on the right. Picture a hand pulling something out from where it came from, like drawing a card from a deck.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 抽 with 油 (yóu, oil), 袖 (xiù, sleeve) and 由 (yóu), which share the same right side. Check the left part: the hand 扌 means an action, so only 抽 means to pull or draw.

抽 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

你nǐ最zuì好hǎo别bié抽chōu这zhè么me多duō烟yān了le。

You had better not smoke so much.

你nǐ介jiè意yì我wǒ在zài这zhè里lǐ抽chōu烟yān吗ma？

Would you mind me smoking here?

我wǒ很hěn少shǎo能néng抽chōu出chū时shí间jiān看kàn书shū。

I can seldom find time for reading.

这zhè些xiē天tiān我wǒ会huì抽chōu一yī天tiān来lái看kàn你nǐ的de。

I'll come and see you one of these days.

一yī些xiē抽chōu象xiàng艺yì术shù是shì很hěn难nán理lǐ解jiě的de。

Some abstract art is difficult to understand.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

抽 chōu · to draw out · 8 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 抽.

抽烟	chōuyān	to smoke (tobacco)
抽奖	chōujiǎng	to draw a prize; a lottery
抽屉	chōuti	drawer
抽象	chōuxiàng	abstract; abstraction
抽签	chōuqiān	to perform divination with sticks; to draw lots
抽出	chōuchū	to take out; to extract
抽筋	chōujīn	cramp; charley horse
抽空	chōukòng	to find the time to do sth
抽搐	chōuchù	to twitch
抽泣	chōuqì	to sob spasmodically
抽身	chōushēn	to get away from; to withdraw
抽血	chōuxuè	to take blood; to draw blood (e.g. for a test)

Questions about 抽

What does 抽 mean?

抽 (chōu) means "to draw out; to pull out from in between; to remove part of the whole" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 抽?

抽 is made of 1 character: 抽 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.

Is 抽 an HSK word?

Yes. 抽 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How do you say 'make time for something' with 抽?

Use 抽时间 (chōu shíjiān) or 抽空 (chōukòng), literally pulling time out of a busy schedule. For example, 我会抽空去看你 (Wǒ huì chōukòng qù kàn nǐ) means I will find time to visit you.

Why is the 屉 in 抽屉 pronounced without a tone?

In 抽屉 (chōuti), the second syllable is usually read in the neutral tone in everyday Mandarin. You may also hear chōutì in careful speech, but the neutral tone is the common spoken form.